Electromagnetic devices and machines such as electrical motors, transformers, etc., typically include a soft magnetically-conductive material to promote magnetic flux that is generated during operation of the device. Various types of soft magnetically-conductive material such as electric steel, for example, can be fabricated to include metal grains. In terms of electrical motors, for example, the flux generated during operation has a varying angle of incidence with respect to the metal grains formed in the soft magnetically-conductive material (e.g., the stator).
Referring to FIG. 1A, for example, a distribution of flux generated during operation of a permanent magnet (PM) motor 100 at a first time (T1) is illustrated. The PM motor 100 includes a stator 102 and a rotor 104. The stator 102 includes an outer ring 106 with twelve slots 108 (e.g., forty-eight slots 108 would be shown in a full view). The rotor 104 includes an inner ring 110 with poles 112. Each pole 112 is formed from a pair of rectangular magnets 114 (e.g., eight poles 112 would be shown in a full view). Turning to FIG. 1B, the flux distribution generated by the PM motor 100 at a subsequent time (T2) is illustrated. The flux paths 101 illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1B indicate the orientation (indicated by arrows 103) of the flux.
As shown in FIG. 1B, it is difficult to match the rolling (i.e., rotational) direction of the soft magnetically-conductive material, e.g., steel, 1 with the flux (i.e., flux paths 101) at a particular moment in time. Therefore, the soft magnetically-conductive material of the stator 102 and/or rotor 104 included in conventional motors 100 is typically fabricated having non-grain orientated metal 116a-116b. That is, the rotor metal grains 116a and the stator metal grains 116b formed in the soft magnetically-conductive material of conventional motors 100 have an orientation that is irrespective of the flux paths 101. As a result, the metal grains 116a-116b (i.e., the grains and their boundaries) that are not aligned (i.e., are not parallel) with the flux paths 101 at a particular moment in time act as flux obstacles that reduce efficiency and performance of the electromagnetic device because the non-alignment generates more reluctance for the flux to flow thereby contributing to increase losses.